sign in sign up
<<
Home , Bhrikuti, Khenpo, Marici (Buddhism), Sutrayana

Praises to Twenty-One Taras

Lecture Five Contents

Contents2

5 , Your Forever Protector2 Miraculous Stories of Tara’s Blessing...... 2 Drolma Tronyer Chendze...... 11 Drolma Rabtu Shyiwa...... 17 Drolma Barwé Öchen...... 24 Drolma Pakmé Nönam...... 29 When I was young, I always thought of Tara as my mother. In my mind, I trusted her in exactly the same way that I trust my own mother and I always hold a sincere devotion to her, and felt secure in the belief that by praying to her, all obstacles and disasters in this world can be dispelled. When faced with a problem, my first thought is always: “Tara, please come to help me.” Such devotion and conviction have been within me since I was a kid.

– Khenpo Sodargye Tara, Your Forever Protector 5

Miraculous Stories of Tara’s Blessing

Now let us continue with Praises to the Twenty-One Taras. As you have been learning this teaching, you have probably been realizing that Tara has the ability to provide great blessing. Her blessing is not a myth nor is to speak of it making a groundless statement. Rather, if we pray to her, and think of her constantly, we will undoubtedly experience the swift infusion of her blessing. I’m sure that after having absorbed this teaching, many Buddhists listening to this, will purchase an image of Tara and worship her in their shrine rooms or place her image in their offices. The image of Tara is normally found in the form of a painting or a gold-plated statue. In India, there are also many statues of Tara that are exquisitely crafted from sandalwood or other highly valued woods. In fact, the Tara teachings are very popular in both the Tibetan region and in India, as can be seen from their local arts and cultural traditions. In the Tibetan region, almost every household has a Tara statue on their shrines and if you go into the shops that carry Buddhist items, you will notice many 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 3

people purchasing images of Tara. People who recite the Tara can be found everywhere, as well. So, as we learn the devotional practices dedicated to Tara, as well as listen to the many miraculous stories about her, we should realize that this practice is not restricted to , but is applied quite broadly throughout India, as well.

Around the Vajra Seat in , it is well known, that many miracles related to Tara have taken place near to there. One story refers to a from the tradition who had rejected and slandered the of Tara. Once, while crossing a river near Bodh Gaya, he fell into the rushing water and was swept away and nearly drowned. At that moment, it occurred to him that: “People say Tara is a protector who saves beings from the fear of water” so, as he was feeling very afraid, he cried out, “Tara! Tara!” and suddenly, a wooden statue of Tara that was in the Vajra Seat, appeared to him and said, “You never think of me or respect me—why do you call for my help now?” But the Tara got him out of the water anyway. Since then, that particular statue is known as the “Tara who Enters Into the Water”, because she went into the water herself to rescue the drowning bhikkhu. Another story about Tara took place at the Vajra Seat itself: There was an old lady who was very devoted to Tara and intended to build a shrine room for her near to the Mahabodhi. To accomplish this task, she hired people, at great cost to herself, to build the shrine room. When it was completed, the woman found that the door of the shrine hall was facing in the opposite direction of the Mahabodhi, which is not correct. Although, she felt very bad 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 4

about this, she could not afford to reconstruct it. As a result, she felt remorseful and regretful that she hadn’t thought the construction through more completely before the construction began, and now that the building was nearly completed, she didn’t have a clue of what to do to fix the mistake. As she was feeling very sad and distressed about this, the statue of Tara spoke to her: “If you are not pleased, I shall turn my face towards the Mahabodhi.” At that moment, both the door to the shrine room, and the statue, on its own, turned around until they were both facing the proper direction. This Tara later became known as the “Tara of the Turning Face”. While there are many stories like these that are well-known in India, such stories are also told in Tibet where many monasteries have shrine halls dedicated to Tara. There is a story that took place at the Tara shrine hall in . It once happened, that just as a monk was passing by the shrine, he accidentally slipped and just as has he was about to hit the ground, he instinctively cried out: “Mama!”, at which point, Tara responded to him, speaking in a clear voice: “Mama is here”. The monk looked up and noticed that it was the statue of Tara who was talking.

When I was young, I always thought of Tara as my mother. In my mind, I trusted her in exactly the same way that I trust my own mother and I always hold a sincere devotion to her, and felt secure in the belief that by praying to her, all obstacles and disasters in this world can be dispelled. When faced with a problem, my first thought is always: “Tara, please come to help me.” Such devotion and conviction have been within me since I was a kid. In my shrine, I have many statues 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 5

of the Buddha Shakyamuni and also of Tara, made in many different sizes, as well as with varying degrees of craftsmanship. Most of these, I brought back from visits to such countries as India and Thailand. When I was a child, we didn’t have a statue of the Buddha or Tara but we used to play games where we would put little bones and pebbles on a big rock and pretend that they were the green Tara, the white Tara or other . We used to place fine sand in front of them as offerings, and that’s how we played when we were little. I always think that over the course of my life, many obstacles that might have impeded my practice have miraculously disappeared. This, I feel, must have something to do with my sincere devotion to Tara and her powerful blessing.

I’m sure some of you who attend this teaching will one day have great resources in respect of wealth and power. I hope by then you will make use of some of that wealth or power to install some Tara statues, whenever you have an opportunity. Say for instance, that you become the of a monastery, then, first thing, you should commission a statue of Tara to be placed in the monastery, as that will be very beneficial for the local people in terms of dispelling disasters. As we have said previously, all kinds of disasters including tornadoes, floods, and fires, can be eliminated through Tara’s blessing. In this degenerate time, practitioners who are able to overcome obstacles by themselves are extremely rare. Even though we all wish our practice to go smoothly and successfully from beginning to end, adverse conditions will from time to time, occur, either as a result of our 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 6

afflictions or caused by demonic forces. When they appear, it will feel as if the control of our mind has been taken from us. In times like these, it is very difficult to overcome these negativities or bring them under control on our own. However, by relying on transcendental power by such actions as praying to Tara, adverse conditions can be counteracted through her extraordinary blessing. The inconceivable power of her blessing is not easy for us ordinary beings to describe in words or to understand with our conceptual thinking.

The Thangka of Tara in the New Year’s Eve

Through this study, I believe that whenever and wherever you see the figure of Tara, a great devotion to her will arise in you. I remember that when I was a child of about six or seven years old, my family was living in a neighborhood with several other households, who were all, including my family, nomads herding yaks. A senior monk lived next to our tent that was a very close friend of mine. He had several that he kept in his tent, among which was a thangka of Tara, and every New Year’s Eve according to the Tibetan calendar, if there were no unexpected events taking place, he would hang up the thangkas for the entire day. When the old monk hung up the thangka of Tara, all of us in the neighborhood, kids and grown-ups, would enter his tent and pay homage to her. In my memory, I can clearly recall that every time we saw the thangka of Tara, we were very delighted. We all looked forward to the coming of the next New Year’s 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 7

Eve, so that we could see her holy image again. This was in the late 60s to the early 70s, which was an unusual period of time when the religious policy was very strict and it was not easy to get the chance to see Buddhist-related images. I was thinking the other day that these days we can very easily purchase the image of Tara. The stores nearby have thangkas of Tara for sale at reasonable prices. Moreover, many these thangkas are embroidered in beautifully decorated patterns, lovely colors and golden thread, and are far more exquisite than the one owned by the monk from my old neighborhood. Looking back at the impact of the Cultural Revolution, I can tell you that Buddhism was virtually devastated and no Buddhist symbols whatsoever could be seen. The Cultural Revolution began in 1966, which coincided with the years of my childhood. During that unusual time, people felt very grateful and excited when they got the opportunity to see an image or a thangka of Tara. Many old people could not keep from crying, with tears gushing out, when they saw the image of Tara. This happened quite a lot.

So, I’d like to remind you of the fact that you are very fortunate to live during such a liberal environment. I am sure that long past period of history is difficult for you to imagine. At that time, Buddhism as a whole was severely damaged, and on the verge of vanishing entirely. Unlike in the past, these days you are free to own Buddhist images and display them to anyone, anywhere you like. Back during that time, if we had a Buddha statue, we had to keep it secretly hidden to avoid getting into trouble. I remember that my family had a book 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 8

about the sadhana of the Tsok feast of Guru . Every time we moved to a new place, we had to find a cave to hide it in. Even now when I see a cave, the first thing comes to mind is: “Wow, this would be a good cave to hide scriptures.” At that time, as soon as we moved to a new place, my parents would ask me to go to the mountains nearby to see if there was a good cave to hide the book, and I would hike all around the area to find one. Nowadays, we are free to keep as many scriptures as we like without needing to worry about getting into trouble because of it. Also, we have the freedom to follow Buddhism, and even take ordination if we want to. Ironically, these days we tend to abuse these freedoms and privileges. In contrast, during difficult times, people were more devoted in cultivating their Buddhist practice. I sometimes feel that if we were living in an age similar to the Cultural Revolution, many practitioners would be more determined and diligent in their studies and practice, but with so many favorable conditions, such as, qualified masters, good Dharma companions, and access to authentic teachings, we don’t recognize the rarity of this opportunity and thus we fail to cherish it. We honestly don’t realize how invaluable this opportunity truly is. Well, just thinking about a Tara statue has triggered lots of memories and brought back to me, some of those early meaningful experiences.

I hope that all of you here, after attending this teaching, and on into the future, regardless of whether when you’re propagating the Dharma or practicing on your own, you will devotedly follow Tara as your principal deity or . The Praises to the Twenty-One 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 9

Taras was expounded by Buddha Shakyamuni, who manifested in the Dharmakaya form of Buddha Vairochana to . This is mentioned in the afterword. You may not find this afterword in the version of the Praise we are using here, but you can find it at the end of the Tara . So, there are many good reasons that we should recite this Praise consistently. In fact, Tara is the mother of the Buddhas of the three times; so as long as we pray to her, she is able to grant to us all of the common and supreme . Of course, to some individual Theravada practitioners, or people who hold wrong views or those who simply reject Buddhism, Tara will not be recognized as great and powerful. We can hardly change their views and unfortunately, such phenomena are quite common. In the eyes of people with little , even gold is seen as worth no more than common stone. There are plenty of analogies like this in the world.

5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 11

Drolma Tronyer Chendze, the Tara who Gives You Protection

Let us now return to the Praise. We are at B2) Praise for the Body Aspects, which has two parts, C1) Praise for the Sambhogakaya Aspects, and C2) Praise for the Dharmakaya Aspect. Now, let’s look at the last praise under section C1.

E7. Praise for Protecting Self and Others

Homage to you, who on the earth’s surface Strike your palms and stamp your feet;

Your brow deeply furrowed, with hum¯ . you smash The seven netherworlds to nothing but dust.

[Homage to you, who smites the ground with Your palm, and with your foot stamps on it!

Your brow deeply furrowed, with hum¯ . you smash The seven worlds to nothing but dust.]

Homage is paid here to Tara Bhr.kut.¯ı or Drolma Tronyer Chendze, the Tara with the furrowed brow. This Tara’s color is blackish or 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 12

blue, and upon the utpala in her left hand is her implement—a vajra emitting flames, through which all demonic forces can be rooted out and destroyed. With her furrowed brow, her forehead appears as if there are deep wrinkles on it. This indicates that this Tara manifests in a wrathful form. But the wrathful form here is not the same as the fully wrathful deities such as Dorje Drolo and Vajrakilaya. This Tara manifests a slightly more fierce and wrathful appearance compared to the peaceful and smiling appearances of some other Taras in order to tame vicious and stubborn beings who are notoriously difficult to subdue. She strikes the ground with her right hand, exhibiting the gesture of bestowing the sublime. This shows that she takes control of all negativities and demonic forces. She stamps her feet on the ground, indicating that she is able to smash all the negativities and evil influences in all of the seven worlds. The definition of the seven worlds was already discussed in our second lecture. With her brow deeply furrowed, she utters the syllable HUM, whose sound can destroy all obstacles and unfavorable conditions in the universe.

In some practices, we visualize protective spheres to prevent negative influences, but in actuality, this Tara is one of the best protections for us. Nowadays, many people love to buy and wear amulets. It is my belief that the image of Tara offers the best protection of all. Last year, I had some small Tara cards made and gave them to students here at Larung. For those that received one, if you carry it with you at all times or keep it in your car or in your house, it will benefit you immensely. This is because, under Tara’s protective spheres or through her flaming 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 13

vajras, all external obstacles and disasters can be destroyed. She is also able to save us from every kind of danger. I have mentioned before, that Tara can protect us from the eight great fears, such as the fear of fire, water, snakes and poison. All of these disasters can be eliminated by Tara’s power. This is particularly true for those people who suffer involuntarily from demonic influences. Although they don’t seem to encounter any major negativities externally, their minds are very much afflicted and full of obstructing emotions. Praying to Tara can help to overcome such obstacles as well. The reason that some people’s practice is incredibly smooth and successful is that they have protection from within, from their deities. Tara is such a deity who can bestow her protection upon you.

There was at one time, a Buddhist teacher called Drubthob Rinpoche who was born in central Tibet. I have read stories about him that described his experience during the Cultural Revolution. His father had served as the Nepalese Consulate in and his mother was a simple Tibetan lady. During the Cultural Revolution, master Drubthob was arrested and put in prison for three years. While he was in prison, he was asked to forsake his . When he refused firmly, the prison guards gave him a hard time. They said: “Well, since you won’t forsake the Three Jewels, there will be no food for you here. If you want to eat, ask your Three Jewels for food. Let’s see if your protector will keep you from going hungry.” So, for the next few days, Drubthob Rinpoche was given no food to eat at all. So, instead of eating, he prayed silently to Tara. Surprisingly, even though 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 14

he didn’t have any food for many days, his complexion became even more radiant and he didn’t feel any sense of hunger. Seeing this, the guards were astonished and came to believe that he must be a very unusual person. When he was later released, as a result of his father’s connections, he went to and India. When asked about the conditions in the prison by journalists and spiritual masters, he talked about how the blessings he had received from Tara had helped him to get through those difficult times.

Therefore, regardless of who we are, whatever situation we encounter and whichever danger we are in, as long as we pray to Tara, she will help us get through it. There are certain some individuals who may think that Tara can’t possibly be that powerful or that her blessings can’t possibly be that effective, but when people such as these are in a dreadful situation, they will try any way they can to get themselves out of it. Many people don’t pray when things are going well, but they will pray when times are difficult. It’s like when you are healthy, you don’t think at all about doctors or hospitals, but once you get sick, you are sure to go to and seek one out. If a doctor, who is filled with kindness, cures you, your attitude towards him will be completely different from what it was before. I saw many people who didn’t care about healthcare or doctors when they were healthy, but after they had fallen sick and later recovered, they showed so much gratitude to the doctors who cured them. Similarly, when nothing bad or difficult happens, people tend to ignore the blessing of Tara. They think: “However sublime she might be, it has nothing to do with 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 15

me.” But when they are caught up in difficulties, they want to receive help from the most powerful god or Buddha. We all seem to have thoughts such as these. All in all, when we do our daily chanting, we should include a prayer to this Tara.

There have been manifestations of this Tara throughout history. Ac- cording to some Tibetan records, the Nepalese princess was a manifestation of this Tara, Drolma Tronyer Chendze. Regarding this, in order to benefit beings, compassionate Buddhas or can transform into various forms, both masculine and feminine, and in various appearances, either wrathful or peaceful. It is important that we keep a pure mind when praying to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and not regard them as substantial beings. For example, when we see Dorje Drolo, we may think he is and will always remain in his wrathful form. That is not the case. A good teacher with skillful means may at times appear to be very kind, while at other times, he may manifest in a way that we find quite scary. This should be seen as an expression of his skillful means. If an ordinary teacher can present differently to various beings, it is quite reasonable for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to manifest in numerous forms in the course of benefiting sentient beings. So, we must hold the conviction that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can assume any form they wish and can perform any deed. All we need to do is to pray consistently. If you make this a habit, the blessing of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can dissolve into your at any time.

5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 17

Drolma Rabtu Shyiwa, the Tara Who Is Blissful, Virtuous and Tranquil

We’ve finished C1) Praise for the Sambhogakaya Aspects, and now we will start with C2) Praise for the Dharmakaya Aspect.

C2) Praise for the Dharmakaya Aspect

Homage to you, blissful, gracious and tranquil,

Whose domain is the peace of nirvan¯ . a. With om. and svah¯ a¯ in perfect union, You lay to waste every terrible evil.

[Homage to you, blissful, virtuous and tranquil,

Whose field is the peace of nirvan¯ . a. By the root mantra with the om. and svah¯ a¯, You lay to waste every terrible evil.]

This Tara is also called Tara Praśant¯ ¯ı or Drolma Rabtu Shyiwa, the Tara who is blissful, virtuous and tranquil. This Tara is white in color. On the pistil of an utpala flower, held in her left hand, stands a perfect vase from which nectar rains down. 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 18

“Homage to you, blissful, virtuous and tranquil”: “Blissful” here refers to the fruit this Tara has attained, which is one of uncontaminated bliss, free from suffering. The second quality she has is “tranquil”. “Tranquil” means that she has exhausted the objects of karma and afflictive emotions. “Virtuous”, states that from the aspect of the causal stage, all of her conduct has been virtuous, and that she has refrained from all conduct that was non-virtuous while still in the causal stage of her spiritual practice. Because of these three qualities, she is also called “mother of bliss”, “mother of virtue”, and “mother of tranquility”. Because she has realized all and is free from the two obscurations, her field is the peace of , meaning that she has actualized the nondual Dharmakaya that is mentioned in The Ornament of Clear Realization. She is the true Samantabhadri. According to the Tantrayana, Samantabhadri is the Dharmakaya of Tara and Tara is the Sambhogakaya of Samantabhadri. Thus, she abides within the peace of nirvana. With OM at the beginning and SVAHA at the end, her complete root mantra is “Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha”. By reciting this mantra and visualizing light emitting from the body of this Tara, all the negative karma that we have committed since beginningless time can be purified. Even such great downfalls as the five heinous crimes, killing people and breaching the four root downfalls of the vows of “individual liberation”, can be purified through reciting this mantra and visualizing this particular Tara. From the vase that rests upon the utpala flower, held in her hand, nectars rain down that purify all the wrong deeds that have been committed by sentient beings since beginningless time. 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 19

In certain Tara sadhanas, Lord Atisha taught that the Tara practices include the four activities of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and subjugating. In particular, the activity of pacifying our wrong deeds, illnesses and suffering, can be accomplished through the Tara practice. In the Venerable Jigme Lingpa’s , there are also Tara practices. In one of these termas, it mentions the ten qualities of Tara practice, including, increasing wisdom, merit, and dispelling demonic forces. The last of the ten says that Tara practice purifies negativities. In terms of purifying negativities, while practicing is a good choice, reciting the Praises to the Twenty-One Taras and the Tara mantra are also good ways of confessing our misdeeds.

There are many cases where misdeeds have been purified and illnesses dispelled through the Tara practice. In India’s historical past, there was once a well-known Brahman teacher that had many Brahman followers. At one point, due to the ripening of his karma, this Brahman teacher contracted leprosy. Because this disease is highly contagious, one by one, his followers became ill until all 500 brahmans had become infected with this lethal disease. This made their lives very difficult because, up until that point, they had depended on the support of others to survive. When their supporters learned that they were all sick with leprosy, they no longer brought them food and other donations, so the entire was forced to live as beggars. One day, they saw a carved stone Tara by the side of the road holding a slim vase in her hand. Sincere devotion to this Tara arose in them, and so, they prayed to her to cure their disease and to dispel the suffering 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 20

they were experiencing as a result of their extreme poverty. As they began to earnestly pray, a stream of nectar began to flow from her vase, and as the nectar fell upon their emaciated and disease-ravaged bodies, their leprosy was immediately cured.

Whenever I think of sick people who are suffering miserably, especially those who are bed-ridden for long periods of time, I feel terribly for them. We might find it hard to empathize with those who are ill, when we are healthy, but once we fall sick, we will certainly understand how unbearable their suffering is. Some illnesses are simply living torture. Whenever we fall sick or see others who are ill, we can dispel the suffering of this illness by visualizing Tara. There are many methods of visualizing Tara, through which others’ suffering of illness or our own diseases can be dispelled. For example, by visualizing the image of Tara and of her nectar showering down upon us, our misdeeds, suffering and illnesses can all be washed away. This is an extraordinarily effective practice to clear away negativities and illnesses. All the negativities we create, as well as the suffering that we experience due to the ripening of karma, can be purified by practicing Tara. I once read a story about a Han Chinese woman who was very distressed for having brought forth no children after eight years of marriage. She tried every way possible to get pregnant but all of her efforts had failed. Hearing that Tara was very powerful, she prayed to Tara and recited her mantra earnestly, and after only one month of performing this practice, she became pregnant. By the blessing of Tara, much of her negative karma had been cleansed and favorable 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 21

conditions for her pregnancy had emerged, after which, she aspired to continue her Tara practice for the rest of her life.

Personally, I believe that the Tara practice is especially suitable for people in these troubled times. Tara not only bestows upon us the ultimate bliss of nirvana, but also is very powerful in helping us to fulfill our worldly wishes. Why do Indians and Tibetans like Tara practice so much? It is because they are ordinary beings with worldly wishes. Almost all ordinary people wish for power, to become rich, to have a pleasant appearance, to manage a successful business and to be healthy and live a long life, and so on and so forth. None of these wishes are beyond Tara’s power to fulfill. In particular, if you want a good job or a successful career, this can be achieved by receiving the blessing of Tara. There are certain kinds of severe karma that can’t be reversed, such as the grave karma committed in the past or in this present life, the results of which are certain to ripen and be experienced in this life or in future lives. Besides these though, all other negative karma can be swiftly reversed with Tara’s blessing. I believe that most ordinary people like blessings. Today at noon, a young girl followed me as I was walking on the road. I looked back and walked faster, but she caught up to me. Holding a khata in her hands, she said that she wished for my blessing. When I asked, “What do you want the blessing for?” She replied, “Peace, safety and a smooth life.” I felt that her wish reflects the expectation of most ordinary people. Few people ask for a blessing for the next life or for the attainment of perfect , or to be able to benefit 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 22

numerous beings. Quite simply, they don’t ask for these things. All they ask for are felicity and a happy and secured life. Felicity and happiness are wishes that Tara can easily fulfill. So, if you want these things, you should diligently engage in Tara practice, right?

5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 24

Drolma Barwé Öchen, the Tara Who Is Ablaze with Light

Now, let’s move onto the next stanza, which belongs to B3) Praise for Her Activities. It has six subsections, the first of which is C1) Praise for the Activity of Bestowing Wisdom.

C1. Praise for the Activity of Bestowing Wisdom

Homage to you, who, immersed in rapture, Shatters the bodies of all your foes.

You manifest from the wisdom-syllable hum¯ . , And display each of your mantra’s ten syllables.

[Homage to you, who, immersed in rapture, Surrounded by the hosts of noble ones,

Shatters the bodies of all foes, with hum¯ . The wisdom-syllable adorned by the ten syllables.]

This Tara is called Tara Kiran. ojjvala,¯ or Drolma Barwé Öchen, the Tara who is ablaze with light or the Tara of the radiant and luminous HUM. She is of red color, holding in her left hand, the stem of 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 25

an utpala flower, on the pistil of which is a double vajra. She is surrounded by the assembly of highly realized beings, vidyadharas (“awareness holders”) and Bodhisattvas, etc., who are endowed with such extraordinary attainments as, true speech, extraordinary , eloquence, wisdom, etc. Encircled by those holy beings, her mind is filled with supreme joy. Immersed in rapture, wisdom light radiates from her body which destroys the bodies of her enemies. Some commentaries say that enemies here refers to ignorance. With her mind filled with supreme joy, her body emits the syllable HUM and delightful rays of wisdom. Ornamented and surrounded by the array of the ten-syllable mantra, "Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha", HUM also radiates immeasurable light. The light from the syllable HUM and the body of this Tara can totally dispel the darkness of ignorance and self-grasping—the grasping of “I” and “mine”—in the minds of sentient beings, in addition to all kinds of external foes in this world.

If we consistently recite the mantra of Tara in our daily lives, all of our enemies and adversities can be dispelled. Here’s a story that took place in India a long time ago: Some 500 merchants set out across the ocean south of India in three ships to seek treasure. As they were setting out, their families came to see them off, feeling reluctant to let them go, because seeking treasure was a risky business and many never returned from such a journey. The ships carrying the 500 merchants set off, and after great effort, finally reached the Island of Jewels where they quickly filled the ships with ample treasure. As 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 26

they set off on their return voyage, the guardians of the treasure and the lords of the ocean, who were not at all pleased, began to make trouble for them in the same way that if we over-exploit the natural resources of the mountains and rivers to the point that they are destroyed, it will certainly provoke the local protectors, the lords of the mountains, earth, waters, and trees. Thus, the lords of the wealth of the seas caused a fierce wind to blow and caused there to be such violent waves that the ships were nearly engulfed. All the merchants prayed day and night to their various gods, each according to their own faith. Some called upon Indra, some cried out to Maheshvara, some called upon the Sun and some called upon the Moon. Some held jewels in their hands and called out the names of the jewels; some cried out the names of their beloved ones. At this critical moment, a lay Buddhist remembered that Tara could save people in the most difficult situations as long as they prayed to her. So, he began to recite the Tara mantra. As he was reciting her mantra, miraculously, the fierce wind and waves gradually became calmer and the three ships were able to reach home safely. Whatever obstacle we encounter in life, whether it’s the harm caused by the spirits of the mountains, the earth, the sea or other enemies, as long as we pray to Tara, we will certainly be able to overcome them and to clearly see the signs of the clearing of these obstacles. I am sure that there many more stories about Tara in both mainland and Tibet. I have not yet gathered a collection of Tibetan stories, but in my daily life, I often hear people telling stories about how Tara has saved sentient beings from various kinds of trouble. 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 27

According to some great masters of the past, this Tara mantra can dispel the darkness of ignorance and bestow wisdom. These days, when people want to pass an exam or to increase wisdom, many prefer the Manjushri practice. In fact, practicing Tara can also enhance wisdom. For example, practicing certain Tara sadhanas or taking sacred pills blessed through certain Tara rituals can bring an increase in wisdom. If you are not familiar, or do not have access to the above means, reciting the Tara mantra or Praises to the Twenty-One Taras, also works. I’ve heard of several cases of wisdom being gained by praying to Tara. There is one story of some students who were afraid of not getting good marks on their exams, so they recited the Tara mantra 1,000 times on their way to take the exam, and they were rewarded with good results. There are many cases like this. This applies to the students here (at Larung) as well. If you are not well prepared for your exams, you may recite the Tara mantra, but if you fail your exam, it may cause you to doubt Tara’s blessing: “Why did I still not know the answer, even after I prayed so hard to Tara?” Just kidding. I don’t think that you would be this unreasonable. Actually, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have the ability to bestow powerful blessing in many aspects, such as enhancing our wisdom and increasing our compassion. It’s just that we lack the key of “faith”, and it is this lack that prevents us from getting access to the treasures of their boundless blessing.

5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 29

Drolma Pakmé Nönam, the Tara of Limitless Subjugation

C2. Praise for the Activity of Protecting from the Horrors of Enemies

Homage to Ture, your feet stomping boldly,

Formed from the seed of the syllable hum¯ . . The mountains of Meru, Mandara and Vindhya, And all the three worlds, you cause them to quake.

[Homage to Ture, your feet stomping boldly,

Whose seed syllable appears in the form of hum¯ . . The mountains of Meru, Mandara and Vindhya, And all the three worlds, you cause them to quake.]

This stanza pays homage to Tara Aprameyakrama¯ n. ¯ı, or Drolma Pakmé Nönam in Tibetan, the Tara who causes the three worlds to tremble, or the Tara of limitless subjugation. This Tara is reddish yellow in color. Her seated posture and are the same as those of the previous Taras, except that upon her utpala flower is a . Speaking of this, there are twenty-one Taras named in this Praise, and their images are 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 30

all different. In this teaching, I’ve tried to introduce their features so that you will know them better, but I didn’t go into the deepest level of meaning, as this is very difficult to understand. This particular Tara assumes an image of stomping her feet upon the earth. Her seed syllable appears in the form of HUM, and from this HUM radiates boundless light. The light causes the mountains of Meru, Mandara and Vindhya to tremble. In the realms of gods, nagas, or humans, there are mountains that are known in different realms by either the same name or by different names. In general, it can be said these mountains are not easily shaken by external forces. However, through the power of Tara’s seed syllable HUM, the entire triple world—the desire, form, and formless realms, including all the mountains, rivers and grounds within them, can be shaken and caused to tremble. So, there is nothing in this world that can’t be defeated by the power of Tara. We can say that even the most horrendous forces in the world, including demonic forces and other uncontrollable influences, can all be subjugated by this Tara.

From both historical and contemporary reports, we know that the blessing of Tara is beyond incredible. There are many people who didn’t, at first, believe in Tara, but later generated a strong faith in her. In ancient India, there was a great Pandita of the Theravada school whose name was Sanghamitra. He was a scholar who was well- learned in the Abhidharmakosa. One time, the Buddha Shakyamuni appeared to him in a dream and beside the Buddha there was a blue goddess. The goddess told him: “You should train well in the 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 31

Great Vehicle, in addition to learning the Theravada teachings.” After waking up, he decided to follow her advice. Actually, the blue lady was Tara, who appeared as a goddess who was different from her normal form. In order to follow her instruction, this great Pandita decided to immediately go to Kashmir to study Buddhism extensively. On his journey to seek teachings, he was captured by a troop of bandits. These bandits took him to the shrine of a Hindu goddess and intended to kill him there as an offering to this female deity. Faced with grave danger, he thought of Tara and began to pray fiercely to her. Spontaneously, by the swift and responsive blessing of Tara, the statue of the female Hindu goddess split into many fragments. Seeing this, the bandits became extremely frightened and ran away, leaving the master free to continue on his way.

Some individuals who have studied Theravada Buddhism, as well as some practitioners of , may doubt the practice of Tara, or the teachings as a whole. This is a seriously mis- guided view as their doubts are truly groundless. To study Buddhism holistically, one needs to study not only the Sutrayana but also the Tantrayana. Without learning the Tantrayana, one’s understanding of Buddhism is not complete, and needs to be complemented. By learning the Sutrayana and not the Tantrayana, we will remain ig- norant of those vital and profound Tantric teachings. Many people think that the Pure Land school is categorized as following only the Sutrayana teachings, but that is not the case. Many theories found within the Pure Land school can be interpreted as being based on the 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 32

Tantrayana; this will give you a more complete understanding. Such theories as the validity of Sukhavati, the true kayas of Amitabha and how he liberates sentient beings, and even more, can be more fully understood by including the Tantric approach. I wish to make this point very clearly.

To continue with what we have been discussing, praying to Tara can help to overcome lots of suffering, including unfavorable conditions that occur in our practice. Some people say: “Demonic forces are very scary. Wrong paths and evil demons are rampant. We will not be able to defeat them.” At moments like these, the scarier the evil forces are, the more sincerely we need to pray to Tara. Whether in your own practice or in such activities of spreading the Dharma as establishing a monastery, if you find the obstacle to be undefeatable, you must remember to pray to Tara.

At one time in India, there was a Theravada monastery where many monks of the Theravada school resided and were diligently engaged in their practice. At some point, however, rakshasas began to often appear around that monastery, and several monks who were meditating in the forest around the monastery, were eaten by these rakshasas. This happened frequently. One day, a novice monk was meditating under a tree and a black, ugly rakshasa appeared to him, baring its fangs and looking very scary. The rakshasa snatched the monk and began to run away with him. Knowing that there was little hope for his escape, the young monk thought: “They say there’s a deity called Tara who can save beings from fear in times of great danger.” In order to survive, 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 33

the novice began to call the name of Tara. Immediately, a wrathful Tara, brandishing a sword, appeared and threatened the rakshasa. In extreme dread of this fearsome deity, the rakshasa let go of the novice and promised to Tara that no further harm would be imposed upon the monastery or upon other monastics. From then on, no harm from non-humans ever occurred again to that monastery or its residents. Speaking of this, as we know, at a certain time in the past, rakshasas were rampant in this world. Now we don’t see real rakshasas much, but other spirits such as fox spirits do exist, especially in northeastern China. These days, some people are afraid of extraterrestrial beings, some fear fox spirits and some are intimidated by various other evil spirits. It is important to pray to Tara in moments when this kind of fear is present. When I read this story, I thought about the way that we tend to ignore or simply don’t care about how to deal with suffering when we are happy. For example, when I’m healthy, if someone were to recommend an effective medicine to me, it would matter not at all to me, but when I’m very sick, I will listen to others’ recommendation of medicine, even if I had previously rejected it or paid no attention to it. However, if I am ill and eager to be treated, I will take this medicine, hopeful that it will cure my illnesses.

Whether it’s a historical account or the kind of history that has been passed by word of mouth, we should know that they all convey some profound messages to us. These messages aren’t meant to scare people, nor are they intended to make people superstitious. Truth be told, modern education gravitates towards theories like materialism, 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 34

which we have been bombarded with since we were very young. Having these kinds of theories forced on us amounts to a kind of brainwashing. Because of this style of education, we are trained to conform to a materialistic way of thinking. Thus, many people don’t have a high regard for anything other than the love of money. I don’t appreciate this kind of education. This system corrupts people’s mind, causing them to believe in nothing other than science. Trained in this way, they deny all of the inconceivable happenings in this world, which is the same with refusing to admit the effectiveness of unusual remedies or things of that sort. I think that it’s fair to say that this is a tragedy of humankind. If we had received some amount of Buddhist education, beginning at a young age, more would believe that “we reap what we sow”. When something miraculous happens in our life, we would then have the ability to comprehend it. Unfortunately, in the modern age, we tend to negate everything that is beyond our ordinary perceptions. Such an attitude is an indication of mankind’s ignorance, instead of a form of improvement or a sign of progression. We should really reflect on the education that we’ve received while growing up and how we can improve upon it. Therefore, when you find yourself faced with profound Buddhist teachings, never think that they are simply meaningless sayings. The inconceivability and profundity of Buddhist teachings cannot adequately be described through language.

All in all, we should pray to Tara when we meet disasters caused by the imbalance of the four elements of earth, water, fire and air, 5 Tara, Your Forever Protector 35

that threaten the entire world, or when we meet with obstacles over which we are unable to triumph. Larung Gar has gone through many adversities in spreading the Dharma over the years. Every time that unfavorable obstacles occurred, the whole sangha gathered together to recite the mantra of Tara Marici, the Praises to the Twenty-One Taras, the Mani mantra and other prayers, and most often, the obstacles would disappear within a couple of days. When many Buddhists get sick or meet with adversity, they immediately do some kind of chanting and often will offer money to ask the sangha to chant for them, as well. Non-believers are of the opinion that this is foolish. “How can it help when things are already critical?” Actually, if we dedicate our practice to certain deities, with their respective powerful blessing, problems can be solved at once. To give you an example: Say you are stopped by the police for violating a traffic law and the car is towed. If possible, you will use your connections and get the car back, by asking for the help of a powerful person, or if you are supposed to be taken into custody for fifteen days, if you can, you will call a relative who has the connections and influence to get you out. In that case, a phone call from your relative can immediately set you free. Stories like these are not unheard of and we never dismiss them by saying that they are only legendary, right?